Day 46: Zipping Around

Fri. 28th September 2012

What a tranquil place, El Monte. We could laze around in the huge main house or chill in our personal cabana complete with fish pond. However as we have agreed to a morning walk it is on with the walking boots, sun cream and mosquito spray. The hotel is set in its own forest and we head off with our guide Lucia, up a small steep path through the trees still moist with the overnight rain. The birds are illusive and we only spot one toucan high up in the trees. No more friendly Galapagos species.

We quickly arrive at Mindo Canopy Adventures which offers a series of 13 zip wires covering some 3.5km stretching out over the forest and over valleys. We sign up for the full tour (one of us more reluctant than the other). Strapped into our harnesses and helmets firmly on we set off and received our safety briefing. Luckily I had the option of being attached to the guide (fortunately more securely than our friend Geoff on Mont Blanc many years ago!).

I must say the views were amazing as we went on zip wire after zip wire around through the trees. I have to confess I only went solo once! It was far more reassuring to have one of the guides looking after me, especially when I proved my helmet worked by getting too close to the wire.

Dave went solo all the time except when being more adventurous with the superman pose.  The butterfly pose was even more scary – being upside down with legs in the air and arms stretched below you (neither of us went for that one).

On returning to the lodge we joined Tom, the owner, and a couple from Quito for lunch who told scary stories of zip wire accidents and swimming with hungry alligators in Ecuador, which I was glad I had not heard earlier.

The cloud forest is living up to its name as the cloud has crept down the mountain and the rain looks like it is set for the rest of the day. Time to chill out and recharge the batteries ready for our G Adventures 45 day trip across South America starting on Monday.